FREE ESSAY ON THE AMERICAM DREAM

THE AMERICAM DREAM

"The American Dream"
People may say that the definition of the "American Dream", means to be wealthy, others
may argue that it means to be healthy. Most people think that it is a combination of
both. In the novel "The Great Gatsby", Nick Carraway and Jay Gatsby reveal two different
meanings to the phrase, "The American Dream". Nick's interpretation of the American Dream
is based on being healthy and happy. Gatsby's on the other hand is more lenient toward
the wealthier aspect.
Throughout the entire novel Nick Carraway is known as an honest, trustworthy, loyal, and
judgmental type of person. As soon as Nick reaches the age of thirty, he realizes a sense
of moral responsibility. He can not tolerate how everything is revolving around money. He
is disgusted with the eastern society and now figures out that it is time to leave and
move on so that he can be happy. So, he returns to the Middle Western society and
fulfills his personal responsibilities.
Jay Gatsby is the exact opposite of Nick Carraway. As the novel progressives his attitude
towards life does not change and he just becomes more and more selfish. He devotes his
life to being with Daisy Buchanan and he thinks that he can only get her to love him if
he is rich. He is an extremely romantic character, but definitely falls short in
realizing that love can not be bought, it must be there from the start.
It is safe to say that Nick is a trustworthy person and that Gatsby is a materialistic
person. They each present totally different characteristics and are examples of the
established rich and the newly rich. This novel resulted in a man who realized that there
is more to life than money, and a man that did not succeed, because he was too caught up
in money. The "American Dream" is definitely a combination of health and wealth.
Bibliography
the grapes of wrath